We’re asking everyone who supports fairness in copyright to help us make a splash. Now is the time to contact your Representatives and ask them to support H.R. 3945, CASE Act. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild applauds the introduction of The Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act into the House of Representatives, and for the first time into the Senate....
ico-D published an article exposing Fiverr’s business model, explaining why the idea of partnership with the platform is so antithetical to ico-D’s core mission. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild welcomes the appointment of Karen Temple as the Register of Copyrights. ...
Hudson Yards created controversy by stating it has the right to use and license any photographs, text, video, or sound recordings “depicting or related to” a structure open to the public, The Vessel....
The Supreme Court has held that a copyright registration only occurs after the Copyright Office approves the registration; only then can the copyright holder bring an infringement lawsuit. ...
Creators have until March 15, 2019 to register large collections of unregistered works....
After the death of Society of Professional Graphic Artists (SPGA) unofficial historian, Dan Ballard, the Northwest Room of the Tacoma Public Library accepted his archives....
Twenty years ago, for the 30th anniversary of the Guild, member Dan Ballard pulled together a brief history of the early years. ...
Although The CASE Act expired in December with no bill signed into law, our advocacy efforts on behalf of the bill weren't in vain. We got the attention of lawmakers, and expect the Act to be reintroduced this year...
In early December, the Guild celebrated our 50th anniversary in a gala which brought together past and current leadership. The gala was followed by our national board meeting – two days of hard (and exciting) work....
On January 18, the Copyright Office submitted a letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committee Leaderships focusing on the concerns visual artists have with the copyright system. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild responded to the Copyright Office’s Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on Registration Modernization, with comments focused on the particular concerns of illustrators and designers....
The Guild joined representatives from our coalition of visual artist associations for Congressional visits in January and in April in support of H.R. 3945, The CASE Act. ...
A few months after judging the ADAA winners, Theresa Whitehill was asked to mentor one of the student finalists, Martin Hoang. ...
The latest edition of the industry bible, informally known as “PEGs”, was released in early April and features a greatly reworked chapter on Surface Pattern Design....
We’re asking everyone who supports fairness in copyright to help us make a splash. Now is the time to contact your Representatives and ask them to support H.R. 3945, CASE Act. ...
On January 9th, Kodak announced the image rights management platform KODAKOne, which will utilize blockchain technology to permit photographers to register, manage, archive, and monetize their images seamlessly from a single platform. ...
For years, creators and visual arts organizations like ours have been asking for a copyright small claims court. The CASE Act (H.R. 3945) is widely supported, but we need creators to help move it forward....
The smart people behind the development of WordPress have been working overtime to rollout the new content creator known as Gutenberg. The expected release date is spring 2018....
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab gave us all a lovely holiday gift: a series of space exploration posters, free for downloading and printing. The series, titled Visions of the Future, channels retro poster design from the WPA-era....
If you had wanted to sign up for health insurance but missed the enrollment period for the federal exchange, you may still have options to get coverage at HealthCare.gov. If you’ve experienced a qualifying life event or any number of specific conditions, you may qualify for a special enrollment period. ...
On December 4-5, the Guild joined our Coalition of Visual Artists for a trip to Capitol Hill to lobby on behalf of graphic artists in support of the CASE Act. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild has submitted a response to a proposed rulemaking by the Copyright Office on Group Registrations of Unpublished Works. ...
The frantic email, text, or call always comes at a bad time. Your client thinks their site's been hacked. What are you going to do?...
On October 24, representatives from 14 international associations signed the Montreal Design Declaration, challenging designers, educators, governments, and the private sector to work collaboratively in creating a world that is “environmentally sustainable, economically viable, socially equitable, and culturally diverse.” ...
International Council of Design (ico-D) is an international organization of graphic arts associations; their annual Platform Meeting took place October 13 and 14 in Montréal, Canada this year, and as in previous years Rebecca Blake represented the Guild and participated as the National Design Policy workgroup lead....
The Graphic Artists Guild’s Advocacy Liaison Rebecca Blake was elected to the ico-D Executive Committee October 16th and will serve as International Treasurer....
The Guild’s National Board – Executive Committee, Regional Representatives, and Administrators – returned to its tradition of holding an annual in-person meeting. It was a wonderful opportunity for a group of individuals who typically meet virtually to connect, brainstorm, and get caught up on Guild activities and initiatives in person....
The Guild is calling on graphic artists contact their representatives and ask them to support the CASE Act, the Copyright Enforcement in Small Claims Act. Go to copyrightdefense.com/action to access an easy portal to use to email or telephone your representative....
The Graphic Artists Guild welcomes the introduction of HR 3945, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2017 or CASE Act. ...
Guild National President Lara Kisielewska and Advocacy Liaison Rebecca Blake joined representatives from ASMP, NPPA, and APA in meeting Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) September 15th. ...
Over the past year, Guild member and designer Theresa Whitehill has had an unusual relationship with software giant Adobe: that of both judge and mentor in their student Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA). Her experience was extended when she was asked to mentor one of the student finalists. ...
New England Regional Representative Mark W. Slater took it upon himself to be the face of the Guild at Boston's Comic Con this year. It was a way for him to combine two of his passions: comic books (of course!), and advocating for artists and the arts. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild has signed on to a letter drafted by the Copyright Alliance and directed to US Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer, requesting that NAFTA negotiations address the modernization of the copyright provisions of the agreement....
In 2015 PETA sued Slater on behalf of one of a macaques, claiming that Slater violated the monkey’s copyright when the “monkey selfie” taken with Slater's camera was included in his self published book....
On July 20th, the Guild joined members of the Coalition of Visual Artists for productive meetings with Congressional staff on key copyright issues. ...
Guild member Cindy Salans Rosenheim was asked to join the judging panel for the prestigious Adobe Design Achievements Awards, the international student awards co-produced with ico-D. As an illustrator working primarily in watercolor and pen-and-ink, Rosenheim brings unique traditional skills to the panel of judges. ...
ICON 10, The Illustration Conference, has put out a call for papers to be considered for their Education Symposium taking place next July in Detroit, MI. Conference organizers are interested in reviewing submissions from a broad range of sources....
The Copyright Alliance has partnered with Cravath, Swain, and Moore LLP and Columbia Law School to provide pro-bono trial services for individuals and small businesses involved in copyright disputes in New York City. ...
As judge of the 2016 student Adobe Design Achievement Awards, Theresa Whitehill of Colored Horse Studio had the opportunity to review work by design, illustration, and film production students from around the world, working last August in tandem with a team of peers....
Proper color editing of webpage images is a step most web designers overlook. Yet ignoring this crucial step can result in a webpage which is unbalanced, misdirecting the viewer’s focus and resulting in an unpleasant (if not confusing) user experience....
Science illustrator Pieter Folkens came to our attention when we put out a call for a visual artist with experience in the entertainment industry. Not only is he a renowned marine mammal artist, Folkens has also created animatronics models used in films such as “Free Willy” and “Star Trek VI: The Voyage Home”. ...
Arts advocates were appalled when the budget proposed by the Trump transition team called for eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, along with steep cuts to other cultural and social programs. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild applauds the introduction of “The Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act” into the Senate as S.1010 on May 2nd. The Guild has advocated for modernization of the Copyright Office, including making the Register of Copyrights a Presidential appointee. ...
On April 20th, Canadian Marvel comic book artist Gisele Lagace was denied entry to the United States when attempting to cross the border to attend Chicago’s C2E2 comic convention. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild is calling upon visual artists and those who support a vibrant creative community to contact their representatives and ask them to support H.R. 1695. The bill seeks to make the Register of Copyrights, currently appointed by the Librarian of Congress, a presidential appointee with a 10-year term with the advice and consent of the Senate. ...
To help facilitate the marketplace for creative works, visual artists have long called for modernizing the US Copyright Office. That's why we strongly support HR 1695, the Register of Copyrights and Selection and Accountability Act, which would make the Register of Copyrights, who leads the USCO, a presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed position....
Urban Outfitters lost its appeal of a district court jury decision that found the company guilty of willful infringement, and has been ordered to pay $530,000....
Currently, a fake Flash Player scam is targeting visitors and users of the popular WordPress hosting platform WP Engine by taking advantage a common typo of the company URL. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild applauds the introduction of H.R. 1695, the “Register of Copyright Selection and Accountability Act of 2017,” on March 23. The legislation requires the Register of Copyrights to be appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate, and limits the position to a 10-year term. ...
Doubleday’s current book cover contest has hit the usual nerves in the design and illustration communities. The publisher issued a design contest for the book cover design of best-selling author Dan Brown’s newest creation, Origin. ...
The annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards global student competition is again open. Students 18 years and older and registered at accredited institutions of higher education are encouraged to submit their existing student work....
Perhaps because of the increased coverage of women’s issues (and the political movements spearheaded by women), International Women’s Day was marked by a number of blogs and websites with comprehensive reviews of work by women visual artists: designers, illustrators, cartoonists, and others. Three in particular stood out: the UK media platform It’s Nice That, the publication Creative Review (also out of the UK), and the Cartoonist Alliance....
On March 1st, the Copyright Office launched its new website – a huge improvement over the previous iteration. Visitors to the site are clearly directed to Office activities and resources, and a long overdue overhaul of the website’s navigation has almost eliminated the need for the “back” button. ...
A new compendium of logos has been published online: Logobook. Each logo is presented only in solid black and white, permitting viewers to focus on the design and to easily compare logos....
In light of the Copyright Office’s Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on Moral Rights, Copyrightlaws.com has done us all a favor in posting their article, “Moral Rights in US Copyright Law.”...
During the Poynter Digital Design Challenge, Jeffrey Zeldman went after what he described as low-hanging fruit: the website typography....
In late January, Donald Trump’s transition team informed White House staff that the President’s budget eliminated the National Endowment for the Arts. In its article, “Defunding the NEA Would Be Incredibly Stupid: Here’s Why,” FastCompany pulls no punches in contesting the wisdom of that move....
In conjunction with the Coalition of Visual Artists, the Graphic Artists Guild has signed on to a comment letter in response to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Group Registration of Photographs,” issued by the Copyright Office. ...
The Guild joined the Coalition of Visual Artists in submitting a response to the policy proposal for reform of the Copyright Office, drafted by House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte (R – VA) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D – MI). ...
At first glance, “Women Who Draw” simply features work by women artists. But look a little closer: through dynamic filters, visitors to the site can cross-select women illustrators by ethnicity, sexual orientation, location (every continent is represented), and faith. ...
Our colleagues at American Society of Media Photographers, National Press Photographers Association, North American Nature Photography Association, Professional Photographers of America, and the PLUS Coalition are requesting input from professional photographers on their workflow and how they register their copyrights....
The Copyright Office has sent out a request for additional information from stakeholders on DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) safe harbor provisions. This request is part of an ongoing study that the Office is conducting. To formulate a clear response on behalf of creators, the Copyright Alliance is conducting a short online survey....
We’re asking all visual artists, and all who rely on a strong copyright system, to respond to the Library of Congress’ survey on the next Register of Copyrights. Let the Librarian know that we need a Register who understands the value of copyright, recognizes the need for the Office to be modernized, and has the support of the creative community. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild applauds the introduction of H.R. 6496, the “Fairness for Small Creators Act” introduced by Rep. Judy Chu [D-NY] and Rep. Lamar Smith [R-TX]. The bill seeks the establishment of a “small claims system within the Copyright Office,” which would provide individual creators an affordable avenue to enforce their copyrights. ...
The Graphic Artists Guild welcomes the first policy proposal resulting from the Judicary Committee’s review of U.S. copyright law, released by House Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers....
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Google and AIGA have collaborated on Design Census, a survey to map the educational level, lifestyle, and work habits of designers around the world. International design organizations ico-D, iDSA, and IxDA are supporting partners, as well as SEGD and the National Endowment of the Arts (among others) in the US. The survey is an extension of AIGA’s design survey, and was devised to understand “the complex economic, social, and cultural factors shaping the design practice today.” The survey will be open from December 1-16, and preliminary results will be published shortly afterwards. Designers are...
J’net Smith of All Art Licensing is running her free Q&A on art licensing on December 14th. The session is open to designers, illustrators, cartoonists, and surface designers. Registrants can submit their questions in advance, and Smith typically covers 15-25 questions in each session. ...
Earlier, we reported on the lawsuit brought by photographer Carol Highsmith against Getty Images and other parties when she discovered they were invoicing users of her photographs, which she had put into the public domain. On October 17, the judge presiding in the case, US District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, indicated that he was considering dismissing a number of Highsmith’s claims. On November 16, the parties settled over the remaining New York State claims. ...
Mayor Bill DiBlasio of New York City signed the Freelance Isn’t Free Act into law on November 16. The law is the first of its kind in the nation, providing legal recourse for freelancers to pursue clients for non-payment. ...
In a bi-coastal collaboration that benefits artists, illustrator Mark Monlux (Seattle) and attorney Daniel Abraham (New York) have been producing Law & Artist, a library of videos on legal issues of interest to illustrators and designers. ...
On October 27th, the New York City Council unanimously passed groundbreaking legislation supporting freelancers: the “Freelance Isn’t Free Act.” Introduced by Councilman Brad Lander last December, the act redresses the growing trend of non- or late payment experienced by 71% of New York City freelancers, according to a survey conducted by the Freelancers Union. ...
We have two new member discounts to announce! To retrieve your discount codes, log in to Member Central (upper right corner of our website), and visit our Member Discounts page....
On October 21, Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, announced the removal of Maria Pallante as Registrar of Copyrights. With small copyright claims legislation introduced in the House and copyright law under review, the change in Copyright Office leadership comes at a sensitive time. The Copyright Alliance, of which the Guild is a member, released a statement that echoes our concerns....
Links and resources shared during our Ask a Pro webinar have been gathered into a resource list, along with additional links to articles, tutorials, portfolios sites, job boards, and recommended business tools. The result is a comprehensive list of resources on copyrights, starting a business, self-promotion and marketing, pricing, productivity tools, service providers, and finding work. ...
Students of Illustration, animation, and graphic design logged on October 19 to ask questions of illustrator Ed Shems and design director Rebecca Blake, including entire classrooms from MassArt in Boston and the Art Institute in San Francisco joined us for our Ask a Pro webinar, and the links and resources shared have been compiled into a resource list....
“Good clients come from good relationships. Good relationships come from managing and meeting expectations. Expectations start at contracts.” This is how illustrator Cory Kerr begins his podcast, “Contracts and the Apocalypse.” The 11-minute video is directed to illustrators who are new to the business side of illustration, or who are uncomfortable with using contracts....
Photographer Carol Highsmith was outraged when she received a $120 invoice from Licensing Compliance Services on behalf of Almay Limited, a photo stock agency. Highsmith had taken the photograph Almay was claiming to license. Not only that, Highsmith had donated that photo to the Library of Congress for public use, rights-free. ...
In her follow-up article, “Your © is More Than CMI,” Burns goes into greater detail on how to effectively use the copyright notice, and why doing so is such a good practice....
The ico-D Platform Meetings were held late August in Pasadena, CA, providing an opportunity for members to meet and discuss the work of the organization’s professional and educational workgroups. As head of the workgroup on National Design Policy, the platform meeting was both an opportunity for us to connect with international designers, and the culmination of a lot of hard work....
A national design policy is a systemic and strategic government plan to support its design sector, develop design resources, and utilize those resources to achieve various ends. ...
In every election year since 2004, AIGA has conducted a "Get Out the Vote" poster campaign. The campaign solicits designs from AIGA members for posters urging citizens to vote. The posters are then made available to the public for free download and printing under a Creative Commons license. ...
The Copyright Alliance has published an open letter to the 2016 political candidates, advocating for a strong copyright system and a safe and secure Internet. ...
In the wake of its release of a white paper setting out the key components of a copyright small claims bill, a coalition of visual artist groups commends the attention that this critical issue is now garnering on Capitol Hill. ...
On May 2nd and 3rd, the Guild participated in panel discussions conducted by the Copyright Office on the DMCA takedown process – the procedure that copyright holders utilize to compel ISPs, OPSs, and technology companies to remove infringing work from websites....
We’re delighted to announce another candidate for regional representative, designer and fine artist Yanique DaCosta. ...
In “CMI and the DMCA,” attorney Leslie Burns explains how including your name and copyright symbol, called Copyright Management Information, gives you an additional, powerful tool to protect your copyrights online....
The Guild was invited to participate at HOW Design Live this past May, and decided to contribute a live version of our Pricing Game. ...
The Guild’s Eastern Region is delighted to announce their new representative to National: designer Joseph Caserto....
The organizers of the World Design Summit – Montréal 2017 have an ambitious vision: to bring together designers across all disciplines with government representatives, industry business leaders, NGOs, and the media to address how design can shape the future. ...
When the musician Prince passed away a couple of months ago, Sarah Howes, Director of Legal Affairs at The Copyright Alliance, was inspired to pay homage to him and his support of other artists – and to compare him to his opposite, appropriation artist Richard Prince (RP)....
While Google has asserted that the DMCA takedown process works fine, Ellen Siedler of Vox Indie asserts that the sheer quantity of notices issued is proof enough that the process does not help rights holders. ...
Copyright Alliance solicited questions from creators on the copyright registration process. They’ve launched a Copyright Q&A column to roll out the questions and answers. ...
Want to read our Handbook of Pricing & Ethical Guidelines on your tablet, but don’t have an iPad? Now you can – our digital Primer series has just been released for Android. ...
December of last year, New York City Councilman Brad Lander introduced 1017-A, the Freelance Isn’t Free Act. The act has been championed by the Freelancers Union and founder Sara Horowitz, who launched a campaign to support and publicize the bill. ...
We’re now on Instagram! We’re working the platform to give a peek into the advocacy work we do, spread the word about design and illustration best practices, and partner with like-minded organizations. ...
Adobe’s annual contest of student work, the Adobe Design Achievement Awards, is in full swing, with students entering to meet the June 19 deadline. ...
World Design Day is on April 27, and ico-D, the International Council of Design, is marking the occasion by celebrating how design has improved everyday life in local communities through their Design in Action! campaign....
Guild member and illustrator/animator Mark Monlux has given us permission to post two animations he created covering copyright basics. ...